I’m Trying to Love Spiders
Written and Illustrated by Bethany Barton

Publisher’s Summary:
The official spider test. What do you do when you see one of these? a. Lay on a BIG spidey smoocheroo. b. Smile, but back away slowly. c. Grab the closest object and aim it at the spider. d. Run away screaming. If you chose b, c, or d, then this book is for you! (If you chose a, you might be crazy.) I’m Trying to Love Spiders will help you see these amazing arachnids in a whole new light, from their awesomely excessive eight eyes to the seventy-five pounds of bugs a spider can eat in a single year! And you’re sure to feel safer knowing you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than being fatally bitten by a spider. Comforting, right? No? Either way, there’s heaps more information in here to help you forget your fears . . . or at least laugh a lot!

Primary Source Pairing:
Author and illustrator Bethany Barton’s drawings for this book are creative and playful. Invite students to study a photograph of a spider while learning the many arachnid facts presented in the text.

Questions for Discussion:

• What do you notice first?
• Find something small but interesting.
• What do you notice that you didn’t expect?
• What is the physical setting?
• After reading the book, what visual evidence can you find to show the spider’s adaptations?

Credits:
Book Cover and Summary: Follett
Spider on leaf: Pexels